


Retrograde

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Oh My God, Romance, Sunsets, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, stranded together alone for a night?, what will they do?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 23:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11519301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: Reyes Vidal takes Freya Ryder into the badlands for some much needed R&R and their first real time alone since Meridian. With a gorgeous sunset, a view to die for, and a handsome smuggler boyfriend, it should have been the perfect date. Except of course, that the shuttle breaks down and leaves them stranded.





	Retrograde

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Louminx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louminx/gifts).



_A/N - Hello! I have a new story - hooray! It's a very fluffy oneshot about Freya Ryder and Reyes, who rekindle their romance after Meridian. Freya belongs to the very lovely Louminx, who kindly allowed me to write about Freya after I fell in love with her. Thank you, I hope everyone enjoys this, and remember that reviews are always loved._

 

* * *

 

Reyes had the hands of a musician; long, clever fingers with half moon nails and calloused finger tips. Sensitive fingers. Fingers that worked magic with a weapon, could hack data effortless with an omni-tool, and which made her skin tingle and sing as though she were an instrument when he touched her. Freya couldn't help but watch those beautiful hands of his as they moved across the controls of the shuttle in an effortless and practiced way; perfectly in control and in his element.

He glanced at her, his sunset coloured eyes relaxed and warm as he caught her watching him. _Smug bastard_ , she thought, but without any fire. Reyes had earned his right to be smug, after all. Here she was, back by his side again; drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

But this time, _this time_ , she had no intention of letting the fire between them consume her.

 _Well,_ she grinned as Reyes deliberately learned forward and caught her hand with a grin, bringing it to his lips and placing a kiss in the center of her palm, _maybe she'd allow herself to get just a little bit singed_.

"So where are we going?" she asked as she retrieved her hand and leaned back in her seat, her stomach fluttering nervously at the heated look in his eyes.

Reyes flicked a switch and dipped the nose of the shuttle into a descent, flicking a hand carelessly in the direction of a mountain range ahead of them. He smirked at her. "Somewhere secluded."

"Ah-huh." She raised an eyebrow at him and tried to ignore the effect that smirk had on her. "And that would be ... ?"

"A secret." He winked. "I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise."

She crossed her arms over her chest but smiled despite herself. "You're insufferable."

"Always."

Freya laughed softly and settled back in her seat, her hand still tingling from his touch. As they swooped along at high speed, Reyes pointed out various landmarks; his voice soothing and familiar after the horrors of the last few weeks. Finding time to get away after Meridian hadn’t been easy, but Reyes had insisted that she take some time off to recuperate and Freya hadn’t been able to resist.

Tann hadn’t been able to argue that she hadn’t earned at least a _little_ time off, and Lexi had swung in with plenty of support, claiming that Ryder needed a calming environment to heal. Freya barely stopped herself from snorting with amusement at the memory. A shuttle flight over the Kadara ranges with Reyes wasn’t exactly calming, but knowing him, whatever he planned wouldn’t be too taxing.

Once they arrived of course, which hopefully would be _soon_.

She sucked in a breath as he flew the shuttle into a narrow ravine, the beautiful dusky-coloured walls far too close for comfort. Reyes grinned as though aware of her discomfort, though his attention stayed on the controls, and he pointed out the monoliths in the distance as though he were a tour guide.

"You're not going to hit these walls and send us plunging to a fiery death, are you?" Freya asked nervously as the ravine split and he made a hair raising turn down the right path, the sides of the shuttle almost scraping the walls. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly, and she clutched the arms of her chair tightly, finally understanding why Reyes had insisted she _“strap in”_ for the flight.  
  
His grin widened. "You think so little of my abilities? Trust me, after piloting through the scurge for months, this is nothing."  
  
She couldn't argue with that, and tried to make herself relax as they wound their way along, following the snakelike river below. Finally, they began to rise again, and a few minutes later they were out of the stifling ravine and Freya sucked in a breath of relief. Reyes, she noticed, grinned like the devil himself at her obvious discomfort and she slapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Did you do that to scare me?"  
  
He smirked, pleased, and one eyebrow shot up. "Maybe I was trying to impress you?"  
  
She slumped back in her seat, adrenaline fading from her body. "Consider me impressed. You are Anubis alright. God of the underworld and a very, very good pilot."  
  
"Damn right I’m a good pilot." Reyes rolled his shoulders. "Though, remind me to give you a lesson on Ancient Egypt sometime."

Freya laughed and looked about with interest as he set the shuttle down near the edge of the ravine. The view was limited from in the window, but it looked to be one of the highest points in the mountains, and the landscape stretched beneath them in a breathtaking fashion. She followed him out and drank in the view, deciding that the hair-raising flight up had been worth it.

“Like it?” Reyes asked as he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.

She nodded and let her gaze wander over Kadara, the dusky oranges and pale browns of the badlands stretched around them like a faded watercolour painting, and she sighed happily as she relaxed into his arms. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I always thought so.” He kissed the side of her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder as they looked out over what had become Reyes’ kingdom. “Finding this place after the Nexus was like finding paradise. It didn’t matter that the water was on fire or that everything down here seemed to be dangerous or deadly. Compared to what we’d faced in space it was our own little slice of heaven. Even the kett couldn’t stop us from finding sanctuary here.”

Freya smiled and leaned her head against his. “Was it worth all the blood and pain?”

He nodded. “Every moment.”

She turned in his arms and caught his hands with hers. “So, now that you’ve got me alone, what are your plans for me?” Freya could feel the smile creeping across her face, pulling at the corners of her mouth, as memories of their earlier romance surfaced. Back before she had decided to distance herself from him; when the risk of having her heart broken had been too great.

Reyes winked and smiled smugly. “A kiss?” he suggested.

“I think I can manage a kiss for you. As long as you think a simple kiss is worth the trouble of flying me all the way here?” Freya laughed and went up on tiptoes as Reyes dipped his head.

His hands slid around her waist as their lips met, and she wound her arms around his neck to steady herself. He tasted of whiskey and peppermint, and she willingly opened her mouth to the questing slide of his tongue as he deepened the kiss. She groaned lightly and clutched him tighter as she ate at his mouth, swirling her tongue around his and drinking down his taste as his hands slipped lower to cup her ass.

When they finally parted, Freya was pleased to see that Reyes looked as ruffled as she did. His cheeks were faintly flushed, and his eyes were unfocused, as though the passion had thrown him too. He recovered faster than she did, and his smugly smiling mask slid back into place within moments as he slipped his hands back up to her waist and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

“Yes,” he murmured huskily, “that kiss was _definitely_ worth flying all that way for. In fact, I can’t think of many things I wouldn’t do for that kiss.” Reyes kissed her again before she knew what he planned, and she giggled as he swept her down into a dip. Easily supporting her weight in his arms as he carried out the romantic gesture.

When he returned her to her feet, Freya was grinning broadly, and she snuggled close as he slung an arm around her waist. “Mmm,” she agreed quietly. “I think I have to agree with you; that kiss _was_ worth it.”

Reyes laughed and caught her hand. “Come on, we should be heading back. I don’t want the Tempest to send a crew after me for kidnapping their Pathfinder.”

“As if you would ever kidnap me!” she giggled at the thought of a pirate Reyes holding her hostage, though she had to admit the idea appealed to her on a primitive level.

He cast her a heated sidelong glance and winked. “I may have entertained a fantasy or two about snatching you up and taking you captive, but I swear it was all totally innocent.” Freya snorted, and Reyes squeezed her hand. “Honestly! You work so hard! Abducting you is a very sensible way to make you take some very well earned time off.”

She could only shake her head as she followed him back to the shuttle. “Oh, I’m sure your fantasies were _totally_ innocent.”

Reyes grin stretched a little wider. “Oh yes,” he agreed blithely. “ _Totally_.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Freya laughed as he gestured for her to preceded him onto the shuttle.

They strapped themselves back into their seats and she mentally prepared herself for the hair raising journey back down the range. But when Reyes went to start the shuttle a red light flashed on the panel and _nothing_ happened. His brow furrowed. He tried again with the same result and, with a muffled, curse he began fiddling with the console as though it held the answer for his current dilemma.

“Uh, problem?” she asked.

Reyes sighed in frustration and banged a fist against the flashing red light. “There’s a problem with one of the fuel lines,” he muttered, glaring at the light as though it alone was to blame. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“Wait. We’re stuck?” Freya's stomach gave a lurch at the thought of being stuck in the badlands overnight. Reyes or no Reyes, this place could be dangerous.

Only … _had he planned this?_ Could it be a coincidence that they had just been talking about this very thing and now it was happening? Her eyes narrowed he fiddled with the dash; she wouldn’t put it past him.

Something must have shown in her expression, because he sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I swear I had nothing to do with this. It’s just bad luck.”

She looked at him dubiously. “Can you fix it?”

“Maybe.” Reyes, he unstrapped himself and stood up. “Come on, let’s go have a look how bad this is. It could be a simple fix.”

Freya trailed after him, hanging back as he opened up a panel near one of the engines and poked around inside. There was a lot of muffled cursing before he reappeared looking annoyed and embarrassed. His usually perfect combed hair was tousled and askew as though he’d been running his hands through it in frustration.

“I might be able to fix it,” he muttered as he kicked a rock across the ground. “But it'll take a few hours and there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to get it before nightfall.” He looked genuinely embarrassed and Freya smiled as he scuffled a boot into the ground. “But I _can’t_ call in for a pickup.” The last part seemed to be said more to himself than to her.

“Why not?” she asked curiously.

He looked surprised that she had to ask. “I’m _The Charlatan,_ Ryder. I can’t just call in for rides from The Collective without attracting attention to myself, which is something I’m not keen to do until Kadara Port is more settled. I may have cut the head off the snake by killing Sloane, but the body of the snake is still thrashing around, and there are a lot of Outlaws out for blood. Hell. One of them could have even sabotaged the shuttle.”

“You think?” The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she shivered as though cold.

“Perhaps.” Reyes ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and then tossed her an apologetic look. “If I can’t get this fixed today, we may be stuck here for the night. I’m sorry, this is … well, this is _not_ how I wanted this date to go.”

Freya smiled and shrugged. “I could call the Tempest-”

“No.” He shuddered. “The last thing I need is for Tann to find out about this. Him acting all smug about how the Initiative had to rescue me would be worse than death itself. No thank you.” Reyes suddenly gave himself a little shake and looked into her eyes. “Unless you’d rather leave while I remain here? Oh, ye of little faith.”

Leave Reyes here alone? Freya knew she wouldn’t do it, but she pretended to think about it, and for a second he looked worried that she actually might do it. Then she smiled and nudged him with her shoulder.

“As it so happens, I’m perfectly happy to spend the night with you.” Reyes’ eyebrows shot up and he smirked. Freya rolled her eyes as she realised what she said, amusement curling through her. “Oh shut up! I just mean that if we get stuck here tonight, It’s not the end of the world to me. But just to be clear, I’m _not_ about to jump in the sack with you. Not yet anyway.”

Reyes pulled open the panel again, peering in before turning back to her with a wink. “Understood. And if this little field trip turns into an overnight stay, I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”

She watched as he collected a toolkit and set to work on the fuel line, wondering if she should offer to scan the damaged parts with SAM to see if he could help fix it faster. Would that be insulting to Reyes? Would he take it as a sign that she didn’t think he could do it by himself? Or maybe there was something else she could do? Help him with tools or spare parts?

Freya leaned closer. “Can I be useful at all? Do you want me to pass you tools-”

Reyes laughed as though she had said something hilarious. “I’m not sure you handling my tool is going to be very helpful to me fixing the shuttle.”

“Hey!” Freya flushed as his laughter continued.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He grinned and pointed at some of the skeletal looking trees that had managed to grow on top of the range, their twisted silvery frames leaning at strange windswept angles. “I should be fine here by myself. How about if you collect some wood? If we are stuck here tonight, it’ll be cold.”

She snorted. “Typical. I do the hard work and collect the wood while you get to stay here by the shuttle. Lazy ass.”

“We can swap if you like,” he offered and winked. “You can fix the shuttle and I’ll get wood?”

Freya narrowed her eyes. ”Was that _another_ dick joke?”

Reyes’ grin widened. “Maybe, but since you look like you’re ready to hit me, I’m going to plead innocence. I fix shuttles much better without a head injury.”

“Or maybe it would knock some sense into you,” she grumbled.

Freya walked away to the sound of Reyes laughter and spent the next hour collecting wood, lugging it back to the shuttle until the pile was more than enough for the night. The sun had dipped low in the horizon by the time she’d finished, and she moved to the edge of the cliff, settling herself on a large boulder and hugging her knees to her chest. Reyes appeared as though summoned and settled himself beside her as the horizon began to blaze with fiery colours, shifting through bright oranges, fiery pinks and neon yellows.

He’d taken off his gloves, vest, and jacket, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. His hands and forearms were streaked with grease, and he attempted to wipe the worst of it off with a rag. When he was done, Reyes slipped a mostly grease-free arm around her shoulders and hugged her close, pressing his lips against her temple. Neither of them spoke as they sat pressed together, thigh to thigh and hip to hip, and watched the sunset.

“No luck?” Freya guessed, unable to shake the suspicion that despite his claims to the contrary, this fuel line failure was more that just bad luck.

Reyes shook his head. “Almost, but it’s too dark. I’ll finish up in the morning.”

He tossed the rag down and shifted himself so that he sat behind her, his legs either side of her body. She leaned back against him, happy to let Reyes wrap his arms around her as the breeze picked up and the sunset danced with colour.

“You know what this reminds me of?” He murmured, his breath warm against her cheek. “Our first date.”

She smiled. “Mount Milgrom, triple distilled?”

“Mmm,” Reyes agreed huskily and lipped her ear. “I still have the bottle.”

“The whiskey?” Freya asked hopefully.

He laughed softly. “Long gone, I’m afraid. But it’s the memories that matter.” He kissed along her jawline and his arms tightened around her waist. “Watching the sunset with you that evening is something I’ll never forget. I’m not even sure winning Kadara from Sloane can compare.”

A surge of happiness shot through her, and she struggled to push it down. Reyes was a sweet talker; just because he said something, doesn’t mean he meant it.

… but he sounded like he meant it.

She _wanted_ him to mean it.

Freya shivered as the sunset faded and the warmth vanished from the air, the cool night closing in around them.  Reyes led her back to the shuttle and started a fire, stoking the flames with a practised ease that spoke of many nights spent out in the badlands. He rummaged in the shuttle and reappeared with a blanket and emergency rations which bore the symbol for the Nexus on them.

“Oh, I see tonight we’re eating like royalty,” Freya quipped when she saw the foil packets.

Reyes’ lips twitched in amusement and held them up so she could see them better. “Actually, we are. These are are a rarity on Kadara. Almost a delicacy. They’re fit for a king and a queen.”

“Aaw, are you calling me your queen?” she joked before she thought better of it, and to her surprise, Reyes blushed as he handed her the foil packet.

She smirked a little as she opened it and looked over the contents; a small chocolate bar, some kind of steak, onion and potato casserole, and … an oatmeal ration bar? Freya pulled a face and took out the chocolate, setting the rest aside. Reyes laughed at her pickiness.

“What? Not good enough for you, _Mi Reina_ ?” He joked and took her discarded rations. “I tell you what, I’ll cook this up into something edible, for some of _that_.” He indicated her chocolate.

Freya’s eyes widened and she hid the chocolate behind her back. “No way! You got your own bar! This is mine!”

He grinned and planted himself in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest and watching her smugly. “Well, I want to help you out here, but you’re not making it easy. I can’t cook you dinner for _free_.”

“So what do you want?” She swallowed a smile as she played his game. “The ration bar?”

“Another kiss?” He suggested and reached down to pull her to her feet.

Freya laughed and let Reyes loop his arms around her waist. “Are you sure you’re not sick of kisses? You’ve had several already.”

He shook his head, his dark eyes surprisingly serious. “Oh no. No, I think I’m addicted.” Reyes gently traced one finger over her lower lip, and Freya shivered, a gentle warmth pulsing in her belly at his touch. “I want all the kisses I can get.”

“Reyes-” she breathed his name, a gentle sigh of hunger, and felt him shudder against her as though he’d been waiting for her to speak his name in such a way.

Reyes bent his head and brushed his lips against hers, gently, softly. Then he kissed her a second time, his lips firmer and more sure. The third kiss was deeper still, and Freya whimpered her approval as his tongue swirled against hers, his strong hands pressing her close. When they parted he pressed his forehead to hers and breathed in deeply, as though committing her scent to memory.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, his hands tracing slow circles on her back. “I’m an addict, no question.”

Freya smiled and dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose as she stepped back, breaking the rapidly building sexual tension. “You know, you took _three_ whole kisses just then. This dinner better be worth it.”

“Oh, it will.” Reyes winked as he let her slide out of his grip. If he was disappointed that she put distance between them, he didn’t let it show as he set about cooking with a small smile lingering on his lips.

While he worked on turning the mush from the ration packs into something edible, Freya watched, never having been one for cooking. He emptied the casserole packets into a shallow camp frying pan which he set up over the fire, and then produced several packets of spices, peppers and salts which he added. The smell was mouthwatering, and nothing like the lumpy goo that had oozed out of the packets minutes before.

When he crumpled up a ration bar and sprinkled it over the top she pulled a face, but Reyes gave her a stern look.

“Trust me! The bars give it some extra crunch, and the-”

She waved a hand. “Okay, okay. I believe you, Chef Reyes.”

He rolled his eyes and continued cooking, and when he was done he set the frying pan down on a nearby rock and ushered her over, handing her a fork.

“Oh, come on!” She raised her eyebrows at him. “We’re eating from the _frying pan_?”

Reyes chuckled. “I’m afraid so. I left the good china back at Kadara port with my silverware and the silk napkins.”

“Smart ass.”

Muttering about mouthy smugglers, Freya plopped down on the ground and speared a chunk of meat with her fork. Reyes sat down beside her, his leg pressed against hers as he jostled for space near the food. It wasn’t half bad either, she admitted happily as she ate. It tasted pretty good actually, and considering it was _ration_ food, it tasted damned near amazing.

Reyes entertained her with stories about learning to fly shuttles on Earth as they ate, and though she was certain he embellished the tales for humorous effect, she had to admit he had a gift for storytelling. She’d known he had flown for the Alliance and had helped defend the outer colonies from Collector attacks, but his stories of learning to fly in the early days were much more lighthearted. She laughed more than she ate, which may have been his plan; to get more of the food for himself.

The thought made her smile; Reyes _was_ a greedy man.

When they were full they moved back near the fire which crackled invitingly and gave out an aura of heat. Freya hesitated, unsure of where to sleep, until Reyes settled himself with his back against a rock and held an arm out to her. She snagged the blanket off the ground and settled herself in the crook of his arm; covering them both with the blanket.

“We’re too high up for any adhi, right?” She queried as she lay her head against his chest, weariness tugging at the corners of her mind.

Reyes chuckled. “We’re safe from them up here,” he confirmed and gave her a gentle squeeze. “But, if you’re worried I can stay awake all night and keep an eye out for you?”

She smiled against his chest and snuggled close to him, a lovely warm feeling spreading through her at the thought of Reyes taking care of her, of him watching out for her. “Maybe just hold onto me all night? I’ll feel safe as long as I have your arms around me.”

“Now that I can do.” He sounded pleased.

Freya sighed happily as he tightened his arms, letting the heat of his body soak into hers as the crackle of the fire and the steady thump of his heartbeat lulled her into a sleep. Reyes stroked his hand through her long hair, and after a few minutes he let out a sigh, pressed a kiss on the top of her head and settled himself against her, seemingly asleep in minutes.

The next morning Freya woke up stretched out on the ground with Reyes vest folded neatly under her head, the blanket spread over her, and the smoking embers of the fire warming her. Everything ached, and she rubbed grainy eyes as she got to her feet, stretching as she looked around for Reyes. She froze when she saw him, and then grinned, embarrassed at the sudden rush of lust and heat that roared through her body.

Reyes was working on the shuttle again, only he was shirtless, and his skin glinted with sweat in the morning sun. Freya didn’t bother to let him know she was awake. And she took her time as she made her way over, letting her eyes roam every inch of his exposed skin, lingering on the Anubis tattoo on his shoulder. His muscles flexed as he reached deeper into the shuttle, and she smirked; who said lust was a male prerogative?

She was so intent on ogling Reyes that she kicked a rock which clattered noisily against the shuttle. He froze for a moment and she winced, knowing that her silent approach had been less than successful. Oh well.

“It’s rude to stare,” he commented without looking up, his voice amused.

Unabashed, Freya chuckled and joined him. “You want me to stop?”

Reyes grinned and stepped back from the engine. “Do I get another kiss as payment? I haven’t had my morning fix.”

She leaned in and kissed him good morning, feeling oddly domestic despite the ridiculous situation they were in. “I never knew the King of Kadara was such a handy man,” she joked.

“Oh, I’m a man of many talents.” Reyes told her hotly. “And as I’ve told you before, there’s a lot about me you don’t know.” He turned back to the shuttle and took one final look at the fuel lines. “I think that should do it.” He closed the engine panel and wiped his hands on the rag. “We should be good to go.”

Freya watched him carefully, suspicion thrumming through her again at the convenient timing. “Be honest with me, was the fuel line really damaged? Or did you just make that up to spend the night with me?”

Reyes gave her a wounded look as he pulled his shirt on. “Freya! You wound me!” He plucked his vest from her hands and slipped it over the top. “How could you ask me that after I cooked you such a nice dinner and kept you warm last night?”

Her suspicions deepened. “That’s not a no, Reyes.”

“No, it’s not,” he confirmed huskily as he gathered her into his arms, his hazel eyes burning brighter than the morning sun. “But I’m not saying it’s a yes either. Only that this is a very pretty spot, and I always wanted to bring you here.”

Freya looked around; the light from the early morning sun cast a golden glow over the valley below them. She smiled. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. I admit it. And romantic.” She leaned against the shuttle and let Reyes pull her into his arms. “Thank you for bringing me here, and for dinner. You’re a cunning bastard, Reyes Vidal, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“For which I’m eternally grateful.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, I should get you home before your crew send out a search party.”

She let Reyes lead her back to the shuttle, the two of them walking hand in hand. It had been a long time since she’d taken time off to relax, but last night had allowed her to do just that. Accident or no accident she was eternally grateful to Reyes for giving her that little bit of peace. She paused at the door to the shuttle and took one last look around at the campsite with it’s beautiful view.

Life in Helius would get harder before it got better, she knew this, but it was moments like this, moments with Reyes, that made it all worthwhile.

* * *

 

_A/N - *Rolls around happily* I love a good happy ending! I hope you enjoyed that!_


End file.
